Life Goes On
by J. C. Reeves
Summary: This is the beginning of a story I may or may not finish...all depends on reviews ;) BUT this story is pushing the boundaries of Rose and The Doctor's "relationship." Separated by a certain amount of time, they will be forced to survive without each other and strive to win each other. Enjoy
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: So this is my very first Rose/Ten fanfic. Let me know what you think. If it's not that good I won't continue with it. But I wanted to throw a wrench in Rose and The Doctor's life just to see if they could survive it. Obviously they can or else there wouldn't be much point to a fanfiction based around them. Lol please R&R and let me know what you think! _

Rose sat in her mom's flat…well their flat. But it hadn't been their flat in a long time. Sitting here was driving her insane. He'd told her that he'd be back in ten minutes. He needed her safe and the only place for her to be safe was at her mother's flat. She couldn't be his sidekick on this mission. The Tempest Devils of Elgebar had invaded London and the Doctor did all he could to try and get them to leave peacefully. Upon realizing that peace was not an option, he set off in the time vortex allowing them to follow him. Obviously he thought it better for her stay. _Rose, _he had said. _Give me ten minutes I'll be back for you. I swear. You just have to trust me. _She had trusted him of course. There was nothing else she could do. But that trust began to fizzle out by the second week he didn't come back. She was running out of excuses to tell herself why he wasn't there; why hadn't come for her in two months. She'd travelled through time. She knew how it worked. One day could be a thousand years. But how could he have forgotten about her? Wasn't she special? Didn't he care? Wasn't there urgency in his voice when he'd said, "I WILL come back for you"? Was it just something he'd said to calm her down? If that be the case, then he had given her false hope. She was left alone…with false hope.

The Doctor was speeding through the time vortex trying to find the proper year as the Tempest Devils chased him. It wasn't the smoothest ride he'd ever experienced but it was going to be well worth it. This wasn't a usual adventure. For one, he usually didn't lock a species in a set time on a set planet. Secondly, he didn't have his faithful sidekick. Oh he hated that word; "sidekick." It's so demeaning. Companion was a good word but too impersonal. And all this just HAD to be going through his mind at this very moment. He shook his head as he reached for the dimensional stabilizer and the over to the hand break as he began to land the TARDIS in the perfect place. He'd found the perfect planet to allow the Tempest Devils to live. It was an empty planet with an atmosphere capable of sustaining life. He would let them live here but he could also lock them safely away, as to not harm all of time for the rest of…well, time.

As soon as the task was accomplished he set the date for 21st century London. He was going to get Rose. He set the time for an hour after he'd left. He was so happy he was going to see her face again. He hadn't even been away from her for very long. Technically speaking, he hadn't seen her for centuries. It was taxing his very being. He needed her and he hadn't realized how much until he fought without her. He was fighting FOR her but it was different when he was fighting without her. She wasn't there to jump in terror at what they were facing. She wasn't there to squeal with joy when they destroyed the villain. And she wasn't there for a victory hug; the holding of the hand. Yep. That settled it. He needed to get to Rose and the TARDIS couldn't go faster.


	2. Misplaced in Time

"I don't know why you're sittin 'ere day after day waitin for that man" Jackie Tyler announced as she walked into the sitting room with two cups of tea in her hands. She handed one to Rose and she grasped the other as if it was some sort of lifeline. Rose had resumed her daily position at the window, patiently awaiting the man she thought she loved.

"He ain't comin back Rose. I'm sorry love but the sooner you understand that the quicker you'll move on."

Rose didn't respond. She simply rolled her eyes and sipped her tea.

Taking Rose's silence as a prompting to continue, Jackie pressed the subject further. "If he really cared about you, Rose Marion, he woulda been back by now."

Rose couldn't take it any longer as she all but shouted at her mother, "Just because you hate him and think of him as the most irresponsible being in the universe does not mean that's who he is. He's different than any bloke I've ever met! And I don't know why we're having this conversation…AGAIN! He will come for me. I know he will."

Jackie's mouth was hanging open as she stared at this child who was so much like her is was sickening. But what Jackie hadn't realized is that her "child" was now a full grown woman. _When did that happen? _she asked herself, mentally stowing it away for further inspection. She moved over to the sofa and set her own mug on the coffee table before reaching for Rose's to do the same. Then she pulled Rose into her arms before Rose let out a blood curdling sob.

"You're right mum" she cried. "He's not comin back!" That was the first time she'd allowed herself to embrace the idea. There'd been many times before when she'd entertained the idea but she hadn't accepted it. She had to face facts. The truth of the matter was, he really wasn't coming back for her. If he was he would have been here already. He would have been here a long time ago.

Jackie was stroking Rose's hair and her back trying to calm her daughter down. "Now now sweetheart. Let's not waste tears. Let's try and be brave. We can get through this I know it. It may seem hard now but I promise you all will be right soon enough."

Rose pulled back and swiped at her face, attempting to remove the mascara that was now running down her face. "You're right mum" she nodded. "You're absolutely right." And for the first time in the last 3 months, she got up and left the couch voluntarily, leaving behind her any and all hope of ever seeing the Doctor again.

The Doctor landed on a beautiful, crisp, and sunny afternoon in London. He took a deep breath before coughing it back out. That's one thing he'd never get used to; pollution. How one city could generate so much waste was beyond him. He looked at his surroundings and realized that there was no Powell Estate. _That's odd _he silently contemplated. _I must've landed a little further away than I'd expected. _He was about to turn around and walk back into the TARDIS when he saw a sign just in front of an open piece of property.

"Coming soon! Newly rebuilt Powell Estates!" Then there was some number to call if you wanted to get an early bid on renting a new apartment…after they were built.

"Well that's not…" the Doctor started, talking to himself. There was a woman walking across the street just by where the apartment complex had stood no more than an hour ago. He walked up to her and asked, "Excuse me ma'am but can you tell me what happened to the ORIGINAL Powell Estates?"

She smiled a polite smile as she replied, "Well they burned down about 2 ½ months ago. HUGE structure fire. It spread quickly. I live just around the corner. I was amazed they were able to contain it so nicely."

The Doctor shook his head. This couldn't be possible. 2 ½ months ago? He hadn't even been gone that long. Unless…oh no. Oh no no no no no no. "Do you know where they've placed the residents who lived here at the time of the fire?"

She looked at the ground in deep contemplation as she searched her memory banks for a suitable answer. "Well I remember my sister saying that one of her co-workers—Rose something or other—had lived in one of the apartments. She found out that they were staying with her aunt. I don't know. That's the only person I knew from here and I didn't even know her. Passed that, I think there might have been a deal worked out with the county and a couple hotels around the area. Are you looking for someone in particular?"

The Doctor didn't answer right away as he was trying to process the information that had just been relayed. Lord knows how long he'd left her here. Obviously it was long enough for her to get a job and move on with life. What was he thinking? How could he have gotten this wrong?

"Yes yes I'm sorry. That Rose girl! Rose Tyler is her name. Does your sister have an address or does she know when Rose works next?"

The lady looked up at him and smiled as she said, "You look a little distressed. Come with me, I'll call my sister and we can work things out." The Doctor followed this earth woman whom he found quite helpful. That was rare. He didn't have a lot of things sorted out right now. That was also rare. But one thing he did know, he was going to find Rose. And then he was probably gonna get slapped…multiple times…by both Tyler women. But that wasn't important. He needed to find Rose and fix this mess. And he needed to do it soon.


End file.
